The Mill and the River
The looms, the bell that called the shifts and the restored water wheel, still turning outside.
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Two hundred years of a mill town, told by its own things
The Millbrook Museum tells the story of the town and its river valley through objects its people made, used and kept, from the looms of the old mill to a front parlour of the 1950s. Walk through four permanent galleries, see this season's exhibition, bring a class, or come to a talk on a Thursday evening.
4 galleriesfrom the river to the high street
1 new exhibitionevery season
Under 16scome in at no charge
Tickets and opening hours
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, and on summer Thursdays until 20:00. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing; allow about two hours to see everything.
| Ticket | Price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $8 | Come back as often as you like for 12 months |
| Concession | $5 | Students, over 65s and people receiving state support |
| Family | $20 | Two adults and up to three children |
| Under 16 | No charge | With an adult |
| Carer | No charge | Accompanying a disabled visitor |
| Evening talk | $6 | Thursdays, booked at the desk or with the form |
A lift serves every floor, every route through the galleries is level, and wheelchairs and folding stools can be borrowed at the desk.
Four galleries, a hands on room and the archive
The permanent galleries follow the town from the river that powered it to the shops that fed it.
Kitchens and Parlours
Two rooms set as a family home of 1900 and of the 1950s, with the radio switched on.
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The High Street
The chemist, the grocer and the cobbler rebuilt from fittings the shops left behind.
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Fields and Floods
Farming in the valley, the flood that changed the town and the walls built after it.
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The Hands on Room
Dressing up, a toy shop counter and objects to touch for visitors under eight.
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Study room
Maps, ledgers, photographs and parish records, brought out by a curator for researchers.
OpenBy appointment
This season: Wish You Were Here
Seventy years of holidays taken by Millbrook families, told through postcards, snapshots, a deckchair and a striped windbreak that spent every August on the same beach. Most of the objects were lent by people who still live in the town, and many come with a note about who sent them and why.
The exhibition runs until the end of the season and is included in every ticket. A curator leads a short tour at 14:00 on Saturdays, and visitors are invited to write down a holiday memory of their own on a card for the memory wall.
- Included in admission
- Curator's tour, Saturdays at 14:00
- Seats throughout the room
School visits, group tours and evening hire
Workshops are led by the museum's educators and fit the history taught in most primary and secondary schools.
Self led class visit
a pupil, from$3
Your class explores the galleries with our trail sheets and a short welcome talk.
- Lunch room for packed lunches
- Teachers plan their visit at no charge
Led workshop
a pupil, from$5
Washday a century ago, the mill shift or the flood: real objects to handle with an educator.
- Matched to the class's age
- One adult per six pupils at no charge
Guided group tour
a group, from$90
A curator's tour for societies, clubs and reunions, with tea in the mill house afterwards.
- Any day the museum is open
- Seats along the route
Evening in the Mill Gallery
an evening, from$650
Receptions and launches among the looms, with the galleries lit and a member of staff on hand.
- Caterer from the museum's list
- Finishes by 22:30
School bookings are confirmed in writing with a plan for the day. Evening hire needs a $200 deposit, returned within ten days once the gallery has been checked.
Talks, trails and late openings
Something on most weeks, and almost all of it included in your ticket.
- Thursday evening talks
- Family trails in the school holidays
- Object handling Saturdays
- A monthly memory cafe for people living with dementia and their carers
- Bring in your old photographs day
- Summer late openings with music
- December lantern walk along the weir
- Volunteer open morning
Talks cost $6 and are booked at the desk or with the form below. Everything else is included in admission and needs no booking.
Researching a family, or offering an object
The study room holds maps, mill ledgers, school registers and thousands of photographs of the town. Researchers book a two hour slot on a Wednesday or a Friday, tell the curator what they are looking for, and find the boxes waiting on the table.
The museum still collects, but only things with a story tied to the valley. If you have something you think belongs here, describe it in the form, with what it is, where it came from and who used it, and a curator will reply to say whether it fits the collection.
- Study room slots on Wednesdays and Fridays
- Copies of photographs for a small fee
- Offers of objects described in words first
Inside the old mill
A walk round the galleries, the learning room and the wheel.
From visitors, teachers and researchers (example reviews)
Thirty children, ninety minutes of washday and not one of them wanted to leave the mangle. The plan for the day arrived a week ahead, and the educator followed it to the minute.
Came for an hour with the grandchildren and stayed for three. The parlour has the same radio that stood in the corner at home, and the curator let them turn the dial.
The mill ledgers were out on the table at ten, as promised, with a note marking the pages for the years asked about. Two great grandparents found in one morning.
Before you come
How long does a visit take?
Most visitors spend about two hours. Families with small children often split it, with a break in the cafe and the Hands on Room in between.
Can tickets be used more than once?
Yes. An adult ticket lets you come back as often as you like for twelve months, so there is no need to see everything in one go.
Is photography allowed?
Yes, for personal use and without flash, everywhere except the study room. Photographs of other visitors need their agreement, and filming for publication needs a word with the office first.
How far ahead should a school book?
About a term ahead for a led workshop in spring or summer. Self led visits can often be fitted in at a couple of weeks' notice.
Is the museum accessible?
Every floor is reached by a lift, the routes are level, and wheelchairs and folding stools can be borrowed. Large print guides and a quiet hour on the first Sunday morning of each month are also available.
How is the museum funded?
Through admissions, school bookings, evening hire, the shop and cafe, public grants and donations. The trust that runs it publishes a short annual report each autumn.
Book a class, a tour or an evening in the gallery
Choose what you would like, the date and how many people, and add a few words about the group. The bookings team replies within three working days to confirm, offer another date or suggest a better fit.
- Workshops matched to the class
- Curator's tours for adult groups
- Offers of objects welcome, described in words
Finding the museum
Someone at the front desk picks up the phone during opening hours.
Front desk
In the old mill house beside the weir, a short walk from the market square, with a drop off bay for coaches
Opening hours
| Tuesday to Sunday | 10:00 to 17:00 |
| Thursday, June to August | 10:00 to 20:00 |
| Monday | Closed, except public holidays |
| Study room | Wednesday and Friday, by appointment |
Who runs the museum
The Millbrook Museum is looked after by a charitable trust, with a small staff and about forty volunteers who guide, catalogue and keep the water wheel turning. Volunteers are always welcome; ask at the desk.